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Swollen neck, grumpiness and air licking

Charlie not having a good day.
His normally well fitting collar is snug and his neck feels swollen so I've removed it.
He's grumpy and has spent a lot of time growling. He's been licking the air as well as the patio door.
He's on gabapentin three times a day taking 1.0, .08 and .08 over a 24-hour period. He's also taken Tramadol. The air pressure has dropped. I don't think Tramadol is accomplishing anything.
Currently he's sleeping next to me on the chair in an almost vertical position leaning into the corner between me and the chair.
Would cimitidine be better than Tramadol--a pain killer.
He's been on gabapentin for 11 months and the dose quantity is steadily increasing.
Is there anything else I can do for him?

The air licking and grumpiness sound like they may be SM related. Not sure about the swollen neck, an allergy maybe? Have you changed any food or treats recently? I also think that a call to the vet or neuro is called for. They may adjust his medication to help him feel better.

There are a lot of options for trying various medications. Lyrica is a more recent form of gabapentin and works much better for many dogs (but is expensive). I would definitely also get him on omeprazole or cimetidine (different CSF inhibitors work for different dogs).

If you actually think his neck is swollen I would get him to the vet immediately. He could be feeling worse because somethinng else is going on that is contributing to SM pain.

There are a lot of options for trying various medications. Lyrica is a more recent form of gabapentin and works much better for many dogs (but is expensive). I would definitely also get him on omeprazole or cimetidine (different CSF inhibitors work for different dogs).

If you actually think his neck is swollen I would get him to the vet immediately. He could be feeling worse because somethinng else is going on that is contributing to SM pain.

Best of luck,

Thanks Karlin
Charlie's neck not swollen the following morning. I now have some 200 mg tablets of Cimitidine. Should he have all 200 mgs at x 1 daily? His gabapentin has been increase to 100 x 3 per day.

Have you spoken to your vet or neurologist? They should be advising on medications and be informed if anything is being added to what he is already taking. Dogs on these meds also need annual blood tests as per Clare Rusbridge's treatment algorithm available on her website.

Dogs take 50mg 2x or 3x of cimetidine generally. Definitely do not give 200mg in one dose.

It is important to work with a vet/neuro on managing the meds for a dog -- they can answer all these questions and help find the right mix and dosage of meds -- something that shouldn't be done experimentally except with expert help as there are limits to the dosage and frequency of these drugs -- also cimetidine generally needs to be given 2 hours before or after gabapentin.